Archive for April, 2017

Well I got my wish, and Gary MacDonald has won the Scottish Pre-65 on the BSA Bantam. - As mentioned yesterday, the videos posted, showed him in brilliant form. He is the first Scotsman to win this event - He lost 4 points first day & went clean on Day #2 - he also finished 2nd in the main Trial back a few years. Gary has been training hard and is looking very fit, so don’t count him out for a win in the main event which starts on Monday.

I think they could have placed the podium some place other than in front of the basket ball net !! But it does look like the awards including a nice bottle of Scotch.
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This is Gary Mac - training by running up the Pipeline section !!

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Today the morning weather looks to be nice in Scotland, for the “Check in” - but not so good in our Valley - However, we will still be heading to Summerland for a bit of a ride around the Outlaw loop. - Will need to be careful not to jolt my shoulder again, so no sections today. UPDATE : Clouds have lifted & the sun is shining - PERFECT.

A lot of our local club riders will be headed to Kamloops to ride the “Big Kahuna” cross country race, and over on the Island the VMC will have Day #2 of their PNTA Trial ( They had 31 riders yesterday)

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A bit of a “Shake up” in the Sper Cross scene last night with Dungey winning and Eli Tomac going down.

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I watched the first lap of the Indy Car race from Phoenix - big pile up with seven cars out before they made it around the oval for the first time.

So Dan Thorpe went “Feet -Up ” yesterday in Scotland - a remarkable achievement, but the Triumph Cub he is riding is quite “Special” - in fact if reports are true, some of these Pre-65 bikes are worth over 20 grand - and that’s in English money. ( I see he is riding it “Modern-style” with one finger on the clutch)

While “Thorpey” is a brilliant rider, just like his Dad - the guy I would like to see win this, is Gary MacDonald, on the BSA Bantam - there was some great video posted yesterday of him and he only lost 4 points, so things are very close at the top. ( Coming from Kinlochlevan he should know every section)
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Still talking Scotland - the Canadian contingent has arrived, Dave Butler the Beta/TRS dealer from Ontario is over there to spectate with his wife, and posted some pics of the lads having a pint in one of the pubs in Fort William - tomorrow they will do the parade through the streets, before things get serious on Monday morning. - So far the weather is good !!! but that could change anytime in the highlands.

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There is no question that the town of Fort William really gets into the theme of things for the SSDT - with Trials bikes in many store windows - here is quite a display.

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So the Oilers won again last night - in spite of being out-shot big time by the ducks - buy that goal-tender a drink !!

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Formula One qualifying is on right now from Russia - but it has lost a lot of interest for me - with only Ferrari able to stay close to the dominating Mercedes cars. - In fact the Italian cars ended up on top>

Sebastian Vettel led teammate Kimi Raikkonen to a Ferrari 1-2 during qualifying for the Russian GP at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia on Saturday.

It is the first Ferrari front-row lockout since the 2008 French GP. It is also the first time a Mercedes won’t start on pole since the 2016 Monaco GP and Vettel’s first pole since the 2015 Singapore GP.

The Italian team had been fastest all weekend as the Mercedes teammates struggled to come to grips in the final sector.

The Mercedes teammates will start third and fourth with Valtteri Bottas in front of Lewis Hamilton. The top three cars were covered by less than a tenth of a second.

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We have heard from Florian in Revelstoke, and he says they are now getting out on the bikes a bit after the winter snows - things are all set to host the WTC National in August, which will start at the Glacier House Resort. - Daniel is keen to have a couple of man made sections close to the lodge, and has likely gained more enthusiasm now he has a new Beta Evo Trials bike.

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Tomorrow, I’m planning on going to Summerland for a ride - but will stop off to see Carol Brown - ( Pete’s widow) and give her the pics we took of the plaque we installed on “The Devil’s Staircase”

I will be taking it easy, as my shoulder is still pretty sore after my “Incident” a couple of weeks ago.
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Here is the first pic from Scotland courtesy Dave Butler, who is over there - it shows a Pre 65 rider tackling a section on the first day. ( Got to take my hat off to those guys riding the big heavy thumpers)

Here is a shot of the start, showing Gary MacDonald on the left - he is riding the Pre-65 for the first time, on a very nice BSA Bantam. - At least it appears to be a dry day.

UPDATE Top10

2017 PRE ’65 SCOTTISH TRIAL

28/04/17 20:10

Supported by

PosNumNameTotal

1.

120 Dan Thorpe

0

2.

80 James Noble

1

3.

40 Gary MacDonald

4

4.

52 Calum Murphy

5

5.

84 James Harland

6

6.

135 Paul Heys

6

7.

164 Paul Dennis

6

8.

79 Nick Shield

7

9.

161 Sam Clarke

7

10.

38 Stuart Rockett

Watch for more coverage from the Scottish next week.
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The sun is shining in the valley today, & the weekend looks good - The VMC are hosting a PNTA Trial, so we hope they get a good turn-out.

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With the 30th running of the “Outlaw” Trial only a few weeks down the road - I had a long chat to Ross Rathbone yesterday, about the schedule of events, and have put together a poster, which will be available soon. - We will be making this one a bit “Special” to mark the occasion, but as always, the focus will be on fun for all classes and the whole family.

It’s hard for me to believe that 30 years have passed, since we first had the idea to promote this event, with the Saturday Vintage ( run what you brung sort of thing) -That first Trial was held at East Kelowna, and I think we had 11 old bikes out - and Bob Clark may have won the Vintage on his Ossa. - I do recall that this was the first time we met Adrian Brown, who rode a TY Mono on Sunday.
After a few years, we moved the event to Summerland, where it became very popular every May long weekend, before we held it at Greenstone Mountain near Kamloops in 2002-2003. - then it was back to Summerland until the 25th anniversary. But with mounting land use issues, we were lucky to have the Shuswap lads take it over at Scotch Creek, - a great venue on private land.

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I saw this pic posted of a very nice collection of old Yamaha sleds, from the era when I worked for the company - they were exciting times, with oval racing going big time. - Roy Wall and Steve Baker raced the 1974 GPX models with much success, before new SRX series of liquid cooled units took over.

Well - I guess the big news this morning, is that the Oilers took game #1 of the Stanly Cup Play-offs against the Ducks. - Taff managed to get home from his trip to Vancouver, in time to take in the game, so I’m sure he was happy with the result.

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Here is a great shot taken by Dale Coull at the Team Squid Trial at Ioco last Sunday - it shows Sean Bird (Beta) -tackling one of the big sections in the Expert Class. - It was nice to see Sean back in action after returning from a long stay in China.

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Looking out the window this morning, there appears to be a “Dusting” of snow up on the hills across the Valley !! - I was chatting to Scott Chisolm yesterday, and he says there is still too much snow up high on Vernon Mountain for riding - he also mentioned that there is evidence of fresh logging in the area, so the nice Trials loop he cut in last year, might be gone.
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Some of our local Vernon Club riders, were down at OK Falls last weekend, for the “Creeky Bones” event - which is always a lot of fun, with classes for the whole family. not sure who did the winning, but will no doubt hear all about it next week at our meeting.

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We got a phone call from old friend Bob Work yesterday - it’s been a while since we talked, so we had a lot to catch up on. - Bob is best remembered as the ace Tuner for Stevie Baker, while employed at Yamaha Motor Canada, so we chatted about Steve’s latest exploits riding in the Classic Road Race series in Europe, but also about a big up coming event at Mosport. - Bo is planning on taking some neat old bikes back East for that one.

He was telling me that he has been helping out a couple of local lads from 100 mile - which is where he lives these days - they have been competing on the ice as well as Cross Country racing. ( Bo could always spot talent at a young age.

We also discussed the snowmobile industry and the need for the manufactures to get back to promoting family fun, rather than building super-rockets. - Here is a pic I spotted this morning which is a good example of that.

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Throwback Thursday: Four-Time World Champ Wins Daytona 250 Grand Prix

Larry Lawrence | April 27, 2017

Photo by Henny Ray Abrams

Kork Ballington was a four-time World Champion (twice each in 250cc Grand Prix and 350cc Grand Prix) before leaving the GP circuit after the 1982 season. But the Rhodesian wasn’t done with racing. When he was 36 he came to race in America in the Castrol AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship.

The opening round of the 1987 series was the Daytona International Lightweight race, then the most prestigious 250GP race in the world outside of the world championships. The race drew a slew of World Championship riders over the years.

Ballington won when Randy Renfrow came up short in a thrilling finish that featured a last-lap fight for victory. Ballington passed Renfrow in the horseshoe to take the lead, and the duo went neck-and-neck until the pair entered the chicane and Ballington got completely out of shape trying to pass a lapper.

After he’d gather back his Honda RS250 after the near crash, Ballington thought he’d lost the race. He was surprised to see the checkered flag come out for him when he approached the finish line. He didn’t realize that Renfrow’s machine sputtered and ran out of gas at the chicane.

Once again I’m a bit late hitting the keyboard, due to another late night with Taff !! - But as always it was great, and we told a lot of lies. - He is now on his way back to Edmonton, hopefully not running into snow on the way.

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My picture today - is of Daniel from Glacier House Resort in Revelstoke - out for a hike with his two beautiful dogs. - What many people will not know, is that Daniel also now has a new Beta Trials bike, so he has an even bigger reason to promote our WTC National in August.

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This is a pic of Les Archer and his Norton “Scrambler” - Although the Norton was better known for road racing success, Archer did very well on the converted street bike.

I saw this nice pic posted of Glencoe yesterday - hopefully Stan won’t run into any of the white stuff next week.

And Wendy McKay ( Harry’s wife) just posted this pic from today outside their place in Aviemore which is only 20 miles from Ft William. !!

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This is a great shot of the late Dave Bickers, Les Archer and Jeff Smith at a 2014 reunion - all MX Champs at one time.

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With all the land issues going on in Alberta, the last thing anyone needed, was for sick individuals to be stringing up barb-wire across trails, but this is just what has happened. - We hope the culprits are caught and dealt with severely. - A few years ago a Vernon Honda dealer was killed by a wire rope across a forestry road, while riding by himself up on Vernon Mountain.

The message is clear, be aware that this can happen anywhere, and caution is needed when riding any place on Crown land.

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If anybody is in the market for a new Beta Trials bike - give us a call, we have a super special Spring deal on at the moment, which we have not advertised. ( Josef still has his 2016 Evo 4T factory for sale as well)
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In other Beta news - Michel Belanger, just picked up his new Factory 2t and will compete in the WTC National plus other events again this year.

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This is a shot I took of Sparky Bill at Ioco last Sunday - still riding well into his 50’s - he has been on a Beta for many years. -

The rain was pounding down yesterday, when I left the motel in Maple Ridge to attend the Squid Trial at Ioco - so things were not looking good, however I’m glad to say that the weather gods, gave us a reprieve, and it actually turned out to be a really nice day.

Although I do not yet have the results, there was a big turn-out of riders, including some from the Interior and even one from Alberta (Taff). Steve Day and Melissa Andrist did a great job on the sections, we saw some very tricky Expert stuff - very slippery climbs over roots etc.

Here is one showing Alex Walton on the TRS. ( Very steep)

As always, it’s nice to meet up with old friends at Ioco - Gary Lawer (now a TRS dealer) was up from the States, along with veteran Bill Thompson - Bill De Garis was also there and I chatted to David Craig out on the loop.. We saw some brilliant riding, the young guns showing no fear blasting up the rocky climbs.

Here is Matt Fracy (TRS) on a very slick series of drop off steps on section #2 - The organizers had a great variety of sections. ( not just big splats)

- A lot of the top Experts were there, Brandon Wince ( Beta) - Sean Bird (Beta) - Alex Walton (TRS) - Matt Fracy (TRS) -Steve Day -(Vertigo) -Bill Sparks (Beta) - plus Stan was out getting a final practice before heading to Scotland at the weekend. - Tanner Nordin (TRS) was looking good after his trip to China. - We saw some good rides in the other classes as well - Taff (Beta) and Shane (TRS) seemed to be enjoying themselves, as did the Sportsman group, with Dave Fair(Vertigo) as cheerful as ever. - Bobby T (TRS) - was impressive, as was Bob Clark - out on a TRS 250 for a change. (They finished 1-2 in the Sportsman Class)UPDATE : Alex Walton TRS won Expert - Brandon Wince -Beta 2nd - Steve Day -Vertigo 3rd

Full results will be up on Trials Canada later. (Thanks to Don Doerksen for the results)
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In other Trials news - I see that Jon English (Beta) took the win at the two day Tweed Trial - beating out Jordan Szoke (Sherco) - While in Europe - Toby Martyn (Vertigo) won the first round of the European Championship.

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Magnificent Marquez makes it a fantastic five in Texas

Marquez fended off the challenge from teammate Dani Pedrosa to take an unprecedented fifth MotoGP win at Circuit of The Americas.From motogp.com

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) initially fought it out with teammate Dani Pedrosa for victory in the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, before being able to break clear in the latter laps of the race to take his stunning fifth win in a row in Austin – his 11th straight win on US soil in an incredible statistic. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) then put on a late charge to take second, with Pedrosa completing the podium – and former Championship leader Maverick Viñales crashing out early on.

Sun is shining this morning - let’s hope the rest of the weekend goes well - Later today, I will be heading for Vancouver and the Squid Trial at Ioco tomorrow. - A reminder if anybody needs anything - parts/gear etc - I need to know pronto, as I will only be loading sold stuff on the van. - This includes a used EM, which I’m delivering to a Squamish customer ( No I don’t sell them) - Another reason for packing light, is my shoulder is still not healed up.
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I see one of the top Motorcycle Magazines has picked the TRS as the winner in their 2017 Trials category.

Congrats to Jordi Tarres on this, for getting the bike pretty much perfect, right out of the box.
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Only one more week to go before the start of the Scottish - we hope to see Stan at Ioco, before he heads over to the Highlands. ( wish we were going to see him in his likely last ride at the SSDT - although you never say never)

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Of course with the beginning of May, comes the excitement leading up to the 30th running of the Outlaw Trial at Scotch Creek - We will be working on a poster for this next week, and chatting to Ross & the lads about plans to make this a real celebration.

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Meanwhile over in Spain, there is a big Enduro happening this weekend, and after the first day it was Italian Beta rider Alex Salvini up front, while Brit Steve Holcombe (Beta) finished 6th.

Holcombe upped his performance today - finishing second while fighting for the win.

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Closer to home, the South Okanagan Club, are holding their Creaky Bones race tomorrow down at OK Falls - No doubt Andrew & the lads will have fun down South ( Andrew on his new Yam & Travis on his new Beta) - More news on this on Monday.

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And here is a “Blast from the Past” - 1989 and Thierry Girard on a Beta TR34 - another “Classic” Trials bike.

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Moto GP is in Texas this weekend - lots of crashes in practice, but it was still new Yamaha star Vinales who ended up fastest, followed by Danny Pedrosa & Cal Crutchlow - Marquez had a couple of trips into the gravel, along with many others. ( Rossi didn’t crash but was down in 15th)

We have some breaking news this morning, regarding the WTC National, planned for Silver Star Mountain in September. - Because of ongoing difficulties fitting in our Trial with all the other events happening on that weekend, we have reluctantly been forced to reconsider our options on this date.

At this time, we are saying that it is a no-go and that we will just be hosting the one WTC National West at Glacier House Resort in Revelstoke on the August 13th weekend. - We will post updates as they become available.

On the same topic, we have heard from our French connection regarding the WTC Eastern round, and this is definitely happening. - the date for this in Quebec will be posted soon.

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Here is a nice pic of Gloria out for her first ride of the year up on Chambers Mountain, on the Outlaw Beta Evo 200 - this is a perfect bike for so many people either new to Trials, or wanting the easiest bike to start - call us if you need more info: on any of the Beta models ( we have them in stock)

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It’s another wet morning in the OK Valley, but the weekend forecast doesn’t look too bad - Taff will be arriving later today, and we plan on watching the Hockey game tonight as the Oilers are playing - he will head out tomorrow to the coast, while I will leave on Saturday - Anybody wanting me to put parts or accessories on the van needs to let me know by tomorrow.

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Adam Raga was in Ireland last weekend, putting on riding schools and generally dazzling the troops with his amazing ability on the TRS -

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Saw this on FB today - I think a suitable caption would be “BYE BYE BETA”

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Check out this video clip - some of these young guys have unbelievable ability.